North Africa: Difference between revisions

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	[[Image:LocationNorthernAfrica.png\|right\|thumb\|350px\|
	{{legend\|#00a000\|Northern Africa (])}}
	{{legend\|#00ff00\|geographic North Africa, including the UN subregion}}]]'''North Africa''' or '''Northern Africa''' is the ] ] of the ]n ], generally divided politically from ]. Geopolitically, the ] ] of Northern Africa (which coincides with common reckonings of the region) includes the following seven territories:

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	<nowiki>*</nowiki> The disputed territory of ] is administered by Morocco; the ] also claims it.

	The ] ] are on the southern coast of the ], surrounded by Morocco on land.

	The Spanish ] and ] ] in the ] are northwest of the ]n mainland and often included in this region.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

	Geographically, the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] are sometimes included.

	The ] includes Western Sahara (claimed by Morocco), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya. North Africa generally is often included in common definitions of the ], since they in many respects have closer ties to ] than to sub-saharan Africa. In addition, the ] of Egypt is part of ], making Egypt a ].

	==Landscape==
	The ], which extend across much of ], northern ] and ], are part of the fold mountain system which also runs through much of ]. They recede to the south and east, becoming a ] landscape before meeting the Sahara desert which covers more than 90% of the region. The sediments of the Sahara overlie an ancient plateau of ], some of which is more than four billion years old.

	==People==
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	The inhabitants of North Africa are generally divided in a manner roughly corresponding to the principal geographic regions of North Africa: the ], the ], and the ]. ] on the whole is believed to have been inhabited by ] or ]s since the beginning of recorded history, while the eastern part of Northern Africa has been home to the ], Abyssinians (]) and ] (]ic descent), although ancient Egyptians record extensive contact in their Western desert with peoples that appear to have been ] or proto-Berber. Following the Muslim-Arab conquest in the 7th century AD, the region underwent a process of ] and ] that has defined its cultural landscape ever since. Questions of ethnic identity usually rely on an affiliation with ] and/or ], or with indigenous cultures and religions. Northern Africans exhibit a wide range of phenotypical characteristics from fair to dark-complexioned

	==Culture==
	{{main article\|Culture of North Africa}}
	The people of the Maghreb and the Sahara speak various dialects of ] and ], and almost exclusively follow ]. The ] and ] groups of languages are distantly related, both being members of the ]. The Sahara dialects are notably more conservative than those of coastal cities (see ]). Over the years, ]s have been influenced by other cultures with which they came in contact: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and lately ]. The cultures of the Maghreb and the Sahara therefore combine indigenous Berber, Arab and elements from neighboring parts of Africa and beyond. In the Sahara, the distinction between sedentary ] inhabitants and nomadic ] and ] is particularly marked.

	The diverse peoples of the Sahara are usually categorized along ethno-linguistic lines. In the Maghreb, where Arab and Berber identities are often integrated, these lines can be blurred. Some ]-speaking North Africans may identify as "Arab" depending on the social and political circumstances, although substantial numbers of ] (or '''Imazighen''') have retained a distinct cultural identity which in the ] has been expressed as a clear ethnic identification with Berber history and language. Arabic-speaking ]ns, regardless of ethnic background, often identify with Arab history and culture and may share a common vision with other ]. This, however, may or may not exclude pride in and identification with Berber and/or other parts of their heritage. Berber political and cultural activists for their part, often referred to as ]s, may view all ]ns as principally Berber, whether they are primarily Berber- or Arabic-speaking (see also ]).

	The Nile Valley through northern ] traces its origins to the ancient civilizations of ] and ]. The ] over the centuries have shifted their language from ] to modern ] (both ]), while retaining a sense of national identity that has historically set them apart from other people in the region. Most Egyptians are ] Muslim and a significant ] adheres to ] which has strong historical ties to the ]. In ], straddling Egypt and Sudan, a significant population retains the ancient ] but has adopted ]. The northern part of the ] is home to the, largely, Arab Muslim population, but further down the Nile Valley, the culturally distinct world of the largely non-Muslim ] and ] peoples begins. Sudan is the largest and most diverse of all North African countries.

	North Africa formerly had a large ] population, many of whom emigrated to France or Israel when the North African nations gained independence. A smaller number went to Canada. Prior to the modern establishment of ], there were about 600,000-700,000 Jews in Northern Africa, including both ] (refugees from France, Spain and Portugal from the Renaissance era) as well as indigenous ]. Today, less than fifteen thousand remain in the region, almost all in Morocco and Tunisia, and are mostly part of a French-speaking urban elite. (See ].)


	==History of North Africa==
	The arabs arrived in North Africa in 640 A.D. By 670, most of North Africa had fallen to Arab rule. The Berbers subsequently started to form their own kingdoms in response to this threat in places such as Fez, Morocco, and Sijilimasa. In the eleventh century
	a reformist movement made up of members that called themselves ], launched a ] against the kingdoms to the south in the Savanna. This movement solidified the faith of Islam, and allowed for penetration into sub-sahara Africa. After the ] the area was loosely under the control of the ], except Morocco. After the ], it was colonized by ], ], ] and ]. In ] from 1940 to 1943 the area was the setting for the ]. During the ] and ] all of the North African states gained independence. There remains a dispute over ] between ] and the Algerian-backed ].
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	==Land and sea==
	Sheltered valleys in the Atlas mountains, the Nile valley and delta, and the Mediterranean coast are the main sources of good farming land. A wide variety of valuable crops including cereals, rice and cotton, and woods such as cedar and cork, are grown. Typical mediterranean crops such as olives, figs, dates and citrus fruits also thrive in these areas. The Nile valley is particularly fertile, and most of Egypt's population lives close to the river. Elsewhere, irrigation is essential to improve crop yields on the desert margins.

	Many north African nomads, such as the ], maintain a traditional pastoral lifestyle on the desert fringes, moving their herds of sheep, goats and camels from place to place - crossing country borders in order to find sufficient grazing land.

	==Transport and industry==
	The economies of Algeria and Libya were transformed by the discovery of oil and natural gas reserves in the deserts. Morocco's major exports are ]s and agricultural produce, and as in Egypt and Tunisia, the tourist industry is essential to the economy. Egypt has the most varied industrial base, importing technology to develop electronics and engineering industries, and maintaining the reputation of its high-quality cotton textiles.

	Oil rigs are scattered throughout the deserts of Libya and Algeria. Libyan oil is especially prized because of its low ] content, which it means it produces much less pollution than other fuel oils.

	==External links==

	*Analytical magazine
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	*news and culture

	==See also==
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	{{Regions of the world}}

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Revision as of 17:12, 21 May 2007